China is a big agricultural country, and its long-standing farming civilization is the matrix and foundation of Chinese civilization. Thousands of Neolithic primitive agricultural sites have been found on the vast land of our country, the earliest of which has been 10 thousand years ago. Archaeology has proved that five or six thousand years ago, there were quite developed farming civilizations in many areas such as the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin in China. In the long traditional agricultural economy and society, our ancestors created splendid farming culture with their diligence and wisdom. Brilliant farming culture not only determines the historical process of the Chinese nation, but also describes the greatness and pride of China people. It still permeates our lives, especially all aspects of rural social life. However, farming culture has been impacted by industrialization and urbanization, and in today's wave of globalization, it is threatened by the interruption of tradition and the loss of characteristics. Therefore, it is of far-reaching historical and practical significance to deeply explore the connotation and contemporary value of farming culture, and to protect, inherit and utilize it.
1. Main connotation
Farming culture used to cover all aspects of China society, which is the main component of China's excellent traditional culture and an important spiritual and cultural resource for building the core values of the Chinese nation. So, what is the connotation of farming culture? Professor Peng Jinshan of Northwest Normal University summarized it as "timely, moderate, disciplined and harmonious".
(1) The most direct connection between "timely" agricultural production is time and solar terms. In ancient China, people basically lived in the time frame arranged according to the natural rhythm and agricultural production cycle. In Xia Zhengxiao, the calendar, astronomical phenomena, phenology, meteorology and corresponding farming activities of the Xia Dynasty are listed together for the convenience of the people. Later, a year was divided into 24 solar terms, and people
Arrange farming activities according to solar terms. Until today, solar terms are still the basis for people to carry out agricultural production activities. Agricultural production is a seasonal labor activity based on solar terms, phenology, meteorology and other conditions, with strong timeliness. Therefore, it is a principle that people have adhered to for thousands of years, and "not violating the farming season" is the "Bible" in the hearts of farmers from generation to generation. "The rich and the tiller are also born, the land is also raised, and the sky is also"; "Time waits for no one, time waits for no one" ("Lv Chunqiu Time Review"). "The root of all cultivation lies in fun"; "The sum of time, the right time and the right place." Timely, reflecting the previous re-emphasis on the laws of nature.
(2) "Appropriate" is mainly aimed at "land", that is, appropriate and suitable. Chinese traditional agriculture emphasizes adapting to the time, place and situation, and regards "three suitability" as the principle that all agricultural measures must abide by. The most important thing to grow crops is to adapt to local conditions, and "selecting suitable crops" is an important measure of agricultural production. Our ancestors knew the truth of "choosing the good" as early as in agricultural activities. The concepts of "combination of land rights" and "combination of yin and yang" in Zhou Zu's farming culture are a summary of the practical experience of "land selection", which has played an important guiding role in people's understanding of nature and engaging in agricultural production.
(3) "Norms", namely norms, norms and order, are practical principles formed by the long-term interaction between man and nature. As the root of China's traditional culture, farming culture contains the excellent cultural character of "agriculture-oriented, harmony-oriented, morality-oriented and ceremony-oriented". Farming culture is an important source of traditional culture in China, which plays an important role in cultivating the excellent qualities of the Chinese nation, such as perseverance, advocating harmony, adapting to nature, adapting to local conditions and being brave in innovation, and is the spiritual home of the Chinese nation's continuous development and growth.